Ice rink and components employed for ice rink construction

ABSTRACT

Ice rink assemblies include a plurality of panels and support brackets. Each support bracket may include a floor support and an upright coupled to the floor support. The upright may include a central body, a plurality of wings extending laterally outward from the central body, and a slot formed in at least one wing. At least one fastener may extend through each panel, and may be positioned within a respective slot associated with a respective support bracket to couple a panel to the support bracket. Methods of assembling ice rinks may include positioning at least one fastener through a panel and into a respective slot associated with a support bracket, and tightening the fastener to constrict the fastener and the panel against the support bracket. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also included.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present Application for patent claims priority to Provisional Application No. 62/535,200 entitled “Ice Rink and Components Employed for Ice Rink Construction” filed Jul. 20, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology discussed below relates generally to ice rinks, and more specifically to components and methods for constructing an ice rink.

BACKGROUND

When building an ice rink, the water pressure as well as the expansion of the ice when freezing applies relatively high pressure against the boards or panels that hold the water in. The panels are typically supported even in the event of thaw and freeze.

It would be beneficial to provide components for use in ice rink construction that can facilitate ease of construction and flexibility in locations and sizes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the discussed technology. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in summary form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Various examples and implementations of the present disclosure facilitate ice rinks that are relatively easy to set up and take down, while also facilitating easy storage. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure include ice rink assemblies. According to at least one example, an ice rink assembly may include a plurality of panels. A plurality of support brackets may each include an upright including a plurality of slots associated therewith. One or more fasteners may extend through at least one panel, and may be positioned within respective slots associated with respective support brackets, where a respective fastener facilitates coupling a respective panel to a respective support bracket.

Additional aspects of the present disclosure include ice rink support brackets. According to at least one example, an ice rink support bracket may include a floor support coupled to an upright. The upright may include a central body, a plurality of wings extending laterally outward from the central body, and a slot formed in at least one wing of the plurality.

Further aspects of the present disclosure include methods of assembling an ice rink. In at least one implementation, such methods may include positioning at least one fastener through a panel and into a respective slot associated with a support bracket. The at least one fastener may be tightened to constrict the fastener and the panel against the support bracket.

Other aspects, features, and embodiments associated with the present disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the following description in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view depicting an ice rink in which one or more aspects of the present disclosure may find application.

FIG. 2 illustrates various isometric views of a support bracket assembly according to at least one example.

FIG. 3 illustrates various isometric views of a bracket assembly including a spike according to at least one example.

FIG. 4 illustrates various isometric views of a bracket assembly including a corner wall coupler plate according to at least one example.

FIG. 5 illustrates various isometric views of a bracket assembly including a wall connection plate according to at least one example.

FIG. 6 is an isometric side view of a wall coupling plate according to at least one example.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of a wall coupling tension plate according to at least one example.

FIG. 8 includes various isometric views of an assembly to facilitate support of relatively tall wall panels.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of an ice rink assembly according to at least one example.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of an ice rink assembly according to at least one example.

FIG. 11 is an isometric side view of a wall joiner plate according to at least one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 includes various isometric views of an assembly utilizing a wall joiner plate according to at least one example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrations presented herein are, in some instances, not actual views of any particular ice rink or component, but are merely idealized representations which are employed to describe the present disclosure. Additionally, elements common between figures may retain the same numerical designation.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure include ice rinks and components for forming an ice rink. FIG. 1 is an isometric view depicting an ice rink in which one or more aspects of the present disclosure may find application. As depicted, the wall structure 100 may include a plurality of panels 102 enclosing an area. The panels 102 may be made from any suitable material, including a polymer, wood, etc. A liner (not shown) may be secured inside the enclosed area, and the enclosed area can be filled with water. When the weather is sufficiently cold, the water will freeze, forming an ice sheet that can be used for various activities, including ice skating and hockey.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, support brackets 104 are employed to support the panels 102 of the ice rink 100. FIG. 2 includes various isometric views of a support bracket 200 according to at least one example of the present disclosure. As shown, the support bracket 200 can include an upright 202 coupled to a floor support 204. The floor support 204 may be pivotably coupled to the upright 202 to facilitate movement of the floor support 204 upward and/or downward relative to the upright 202, as depicted in FIG. 2.

The upright 202 can include apertures 206 to facilitate coupling two wall panels together in some implementations, or to simply couple the bracket 200 to a wall panel. The upright 202 may further include slots 208 that are configured to receive a fastener (e.g., bolt, screw) when coupling the upright 202 to a wall panel in some implementations, as will be described in more detail herein. In the depicted embodiment, the bracket 200 includes a plurality of wings 210 extending outward from a central body 212, with the apertures 206 and/or slots 208 are formed in one or more of the wings 210.

Referring to FIG. 3, one aspect of the present disclosure includes a spike 302 that may be coupled to the upright 202. In the example on the left of FIG. 3, the floor support 204 is configured to either pivot relative to the upright 202 to form the spike 302, or to be removably coupled to the upright 202 to form the spike 302. In the example on the right in FIG. 3, the spike 302 can be a separate component from the floor support 204. In either example, the spike 302 can facilitate securing the bracket 200 into the ground for installations on surfaces into which the spike 302 can be inserted.

The spike 302 can include protrusions or ribs 304 on one or more side surfaces thereof to provide grip when placed in the ground. For example, after the spikes 302 are forced into the ground, the ground may enclosed around the spikes 302 and may harden in response to the cold temperatures. With the hardened ground closed up against the spikes 302, the ribs 304 provide structure that can aid in inhibiting the spike 302 from being pulled out of the ground.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a bracket 200 may include one or more corner wall coupler plates 402 coupled to the upright 202 according to one or more examples. As shown, each corner wall coupler plate 402 can include one or more slots 404 configured to function in a manner similar to the slots 208 for coupling a wall panel 102 to a bracket 200, as described in more detail below.

In at least some examples, a bracket 200 may further include a wall connection plate. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates various isometric views of a bracket 200 including a wall connection plate 502 coupled to the bracket 200. The wall connection plate 502 is sized and shaped to receive a wall panel therein. In this manner, a wall panel can be easily placed between the wall connection plate 502 and the upright 202. A U-bolt can be positioned through the slots 504 and into the wall panel. In such an assembly, wall coupling plates, such as the wall coupling plate 602 in FIG. 6, can be utilized to couple two panels together by coupling the wall coupling plate 602 over and partially around each of the two panels at a location where the two panels meet each other. In this manner, the wall assembly can be easily constructed, taken down, and reconstructed utilizing the wall connection plate 402 together with the wall coupling plates 602.

Additionally, a wall joiner tension plate 702 shown in FIG. 7 can be used to couple adjoining wall panels together below the top wall coupling plates 602. As depicted, the wall coupling tension plate 702 includes a first aperture 704 that can be used to bolt the plate 702 to a wall panel. Additionally, a slot 706 may include at least one angled side 708. The angled side 708 extends up from the bottom of the tension plate 702 at an angle greater than 90° with the bottom surface of the tension plate 702. In this manner, the tension plate 702 can rotate about a bolt through the first aperture 704 coupled to a first panel, and another bolt positioned in a second panel can be positioned into the slot 706. As the tension plate 702 is rotated in the direction of arrow 710, the bolt in the second panel, and the second panel itself are forced toward the first panel as the bolt travels into the slot 706. In this manner, two panels can be readily coupled together. When the panels are taken down, the tension plate 702 can simply be rotated about the bolt positioned in the first aperture 704 in a direction opposite the arrow 710, releasing the bolt on the second panel from the slot 706. Such a configuration facilitates relatively easy take down and subsequent setup.

Turning now to FIG. 8, another aspect of the disclosure is depicted. As shown, the bracket 200 can further be employed for supporting relatively tall wall panels. As shown, the upright 202 is sized and shaped to receive a height extension support 802. In the depicted example, the height extension support 802 is a 2×4 piece of lumber. Such a height extension support 802 can be secured to the upright 202 by positioning the 2×4 wood support strap 804 around the height extension support 802 and coupling the support strap 804 to the upright 202. As shown in FIG. 8, coupling plates 806 can be coupled to the height extension support 802 to facilitate coupling the height extension support 802 to the wall panels. Additionally, a support leg 808 can be coupled to the height extension support 802 utilizing slanted support brackets 810. At the bottom, a metal ground strap 812 can be coupled to the floor support 204, and the support leg 808 can be coupled to the metal ground strap 812 utilizing another slanted support bracket 810.

Utilizing the aspects described above, an ice rink may be assembled and disassembled with relative ease. Aspects of the present disclosure include methods of assembling an ice rink. FIG. 9 is an elevation side view illustrating a portion of an ice rink assembly, and depicting a process for assembling an ice rink according to at least one example. As shown in the depicted example, two panels 102 can be coupled to a single upright 202. In other instances, an upright 202 may be coupled to a single panel 102. To facilitate assembling an ice rink according to the present disclosure, one or more fasteners 902 can be positioned through a panel 102. In at least one example, a fastener 902 may be a bolt with a nut coupled to the threaded end of the bolt. The panel 102 can then be coupled to the upright 202 by positioning the one or more fasteners into a respective slot 208 of the upright 202, as shown. When the fastener 902 is positioned into a respective slot 208, the fastener 902 may be tightened to constrict the panel and the fastener together against the upright 202. For example, when the fastener 902 includes a bolt and nut, the nut can be tightened down, essentially sandwiching the upright 202 between the panel 102 and either the bolt head or the nut. To release the panel 102, such as for taking down the ice rink at the end of a winter season, a user simply loosens the fastener 902 sufficient to slide the fastener 902 out of the slot 208. With the fastener 902 sufficiently loosened and removed from the slot 208, the panel can be removed without completely removing the fastener 902 from the panel. This facilitates easy set up and take down of the ice rink assembly.

In another example, such as at one or more angled connections of the ice rink assembly, the corner wall coupler plates 402 may be utilized in the assembly process. For example, FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a portion of an ice rink assembly depicting assembly at an angled portion according to at least one example. In this example, fasteners 902 can be positioned into the slots 404 of the corner wall coupler plate 402 that is coupled to the upright 202. Similar to the previous example, the fasteners 902 can be tightened to secure the panel 102 to the corner wall coupler plate 402. Panels can similarly be released by simply loosening the fasteners 902 and removing the fasteners 902 from the slots 404.

In addition or in the alternative to the utilization of the slots associated with the support bracket (e.g., slots 208 of the upright 202, slots 404 of the corner wall coupler plate 402), a wall joiner plate may be utilized for coupling panels 102 to brackets 200. FIG. 11, is an isometric side view of a wall joiner plate 1102 according to at least one example of the present disclosure. As shown, the wall joiner plate 1102 includes a plurality of bolt apertures 1104 and a plurality of protrusions 1106 projecting out from the plate. The protrusions 1106 are sized and positioned to fit into one or more of the apertures 206 of the upright 202 in FIG. 2. Reference to FIG. 12 will be used to illustrate a process of assembling an ice rink utilizing a wall joiner plate 1102 according to at least one implementation of the present disclosure. As shown, a panel 102 can be coupled to a wall joiner plate 1102, such as by utilizing bolts 1202 to extend through the wall panels 102 and through the bolt apertures 1104 of the wall joiner plate 1102.

The panel 102 can then be positioned adjacent a first side of the upright 202, and the wall joiner plate 1102 can be positioned adjacent an opposing second side of the upright 202, as depicted in FIG. 12. With the panel 102 and the wall joiner plate 1102 positioned to essentially sandwich a portion of the upright 202, the bolts 1002 can be tightened to constrict the wall joiner plate 1102 with the panel 102 until the protrusions 1106 are seated into respective apertures 206 of the upright 202, coupling the bracket 200 to the wall panels 102. Further, to release the panels 102 when taking the rink down, the bolts 1002 need only be loosened enough to release or unseat the protrusions 1106 from the apertures 206 of the upright 202, releasing the wall panel 102 and the wall joiner plate 1102 from the bracket 200. The next time the rink is constructed, the wall joiner plate 1102 still coupled with the wall panels 102 can be positioned on the bracket 200, and the bolts 1002 can be tightened to seat the protrusions 1106 of the wall joiner plate 1102 into the apertures 206 of the upright 202, thereby coupling the wall panels 102 and the wall joiner plate 1102 to the bracket 200.

The various features associate with the examples described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings can be implemented in different examples and implementations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, although certain specific constructions and arrangements have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, such embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive of the scope of the disclosure, since various other additions and modifications to, and deletions from, the described embodiments will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the scope of the disclosure is only determined by the literal language, and legal equivalents, of the claims which follow. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An ice rink assembly, comprising: a plurality of panels; a plurality of support brackets, each support bracket comprising an upright including a plurality of slots associated therewith; and at least one fastener extending through a panel of the plurality of panels and positioned within a respective slot associated with a respective support bracket, wherein the fastener couples the panel of the plurality of panels to the respective support bracket.
 2. The ice rink assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one fastener positioned within a respective slot associated with the respective support bracket comprises the at least one fastener positioned within a respective slot formed in the upright of the respective support bracket.
 3. The ice rink assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one support bracket further comprises: a corner wall coupler plate coupled to the upright, the corner wall coupler plate include a plurality of slots, wherein the at least one fastener positioned within a respective slot associated with the respective support bracket comprises the at least one fastener positioned within a respective slot corner wall coupler plate.
 4. The ice rink assembly of claim 1, wherein each support bracket further includes a floor support coupled to the upright.
 5. The ice rink assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one support bracket further comprises a spike coupled to the upright.
 6. The ice rink assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one support bracket further comprises: a wall connection plate coupled to the upright.
 7. The ice rink assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one wall joiner tension plate pivotably coupled to a panel of the plurality of panels, the at least one wall coupling tension plate comprising: an aperture through which a fastener is positioned for pivotably coupling the wall joiner tension plate to the panel; and a slot including at least one angled side.
 8. The ice rink assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a height extension support positioned adjacent to the upright of at least one support bracket; a support strap coupling the height extension support to the upright of the at least one support bracket; a ground strap coupled to a floor support, the floor support coupled to the upright of the at least one support bracket; and a support leg coupled to, and extending between, the height extension support and the ground strap.
 9. An ice rink support bracket, comprising: a floor support; and an upright coupled to the floor support, the upright comprising: a central body; a plurality of wings extending laterally outward from the central body; and a slot formed in at least one wing of the plurality of wings.
 10. The ice rink support bracket of claim 9, further comprising a spike coupled to the upright.
 11. The ice rink support bracket of claim 10, wherein the spike comprises a plurality of ribs protruding outward from one or more sidewalls.
 12. The ice rink support bracket of claim 9, wherein the upright is coupled to the floor support oriented as a spike.
 13. The ice rink support bracket of claim 9, wherein the upright is pivotably coupled to the floor support.
 14. The ice rink support bracket of claim 9, further comprising at least one aperture formed in at least one wing of the plurality of wings.
 15. The ice rink support bracket of claim 9, further comprising at least one corner wall coupler plate coupled to the upright, the at least one corner wall coupler plate comprising a plurality of slots.
 16. The ice rink support bracket of claim 9, further comprising a wall connection plate coupled to the upright.
 17. The ice rink support bracket of claim 9, further comprising: a height extension support positioned adjacent to the upright; a support strap coupling the height extension support to the upright; a ground strap coupled to the floor support; and a support leg extending between and coupled to the height extension support and the ground strap.
 18. A method of assembling an ice rink, comprising: positioning at least one fastener through a panel; positioning the at least one fastener into a respective slot associated with an upright of a support bracket; and tightening the at least one fastener to constrict the fastener and the panel against the upright of the support bracket.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein positioning the at least one fastener into a respective slot associated with an upright of a support bracket comprises: positioning the at least one fastener into a respective slot formed in the upright of the support bracket.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein positioning the at least one fastener into a respective slot associated with an upright of a support bracket comprises: positioning the at least one fastener into a respective slot formed in corner wall coupler plate coupled to the upright of the support bracket. 